


my sword

by lutzaussi



Series: decorative and deadly [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, F/F, Ino is a Princess, Medieval Romanticism, Sakura is a Knight, Weddings, family traditions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-04
Updated: 2017-08-04
Packaged: 2018-12-11 05:46:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11708061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lutzaussi/pseuds/lutzaussi
Summary: There is a wedding, and finally, finally they are married.





	my sword

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Unseelieknight](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Unseelieknight/gifts).



Ino should have known that her hair would take forever. In theory it was simple, just a series of plaits twisted into rose-shapes at the base of her neck, littered with actual flowers from her mother’s garden. In practice, it was taking _so long_ , and Ino almost regretted that she let her hair grow so long. The flowers were to be put in at the last possible moment, but Ino had been sitting with her head tilted forward for over two hours and really was not sure she would be able to sit through that as well. She couldn’t even see how it was going, because her mother refused her a hand-mirror and wouldn’t let any of her ladies get her one.

“You know, you have it better than me,” her mother said, gently tipping Ino’s head forward to pin a braid down. “My hair was nearly a foot longer than yours, and mother insisted on pinning it all on top of my head. Ugh, I thought my head was going to pop clean off with that weight!”

Ino did chuckle at that, a little. She had seen sketches that her late grandmother had done of the wedding, and there was a painting of the coronation that had occurred after the ceremony, so Ino had some idea of how it had looked.

“Father’s hair was so short then,” Ino said, tipping her head with her mother’s pushing and pinning. Two more braids in place, a half-dozen more hanging loose.

“Yes, well, the country had just gotten out of conflict, so he was only just allowed to grow his hair again a week or so before we wed,” Hitode said, voice almost wistful as she revisited the memories. Three more braids pinned, three left. “We were so young, but in love. Your father didn’t want to wait any longer.”

They both sighed in the sentimental-happy way, and the last braids were pinned in place. Only then did Hitode go to find a hand-mirror and allow Ino to admire her hair.

“You are beautiful, my blossom,” Hitode said, voice more than a little thick. She cupped Ino’s face with both hands, pressed a kiss to her forehead. When she pulled back, tears were bright in her eyes, but a glowing smile was on her lips. “May you always find happiness, wherever you may go.”

Ino could feel tears pricking her own eyes, but she managed a watery smile in return. Though she would remain in Sanchō— _they_ would remain in Sanchō—Ino would be married, have her own household in the largest port city on the south-west coast, Port Kaiso. It was the largest city in the kingdom, and had traditionally been held as the capitol until Ino’s grandfather moved them to the mountains.

“You know you can always come and visit,” Ino said, wiping the tears from her eyes. “We’ll just be four days away by horseback.”

“More like five, with how your father rides,” Hitode returned, giving Ino’s face one last squeeze. “Now, let’s get you fed and dressed.”

-

Ino felt that Sakura could not possibly be as nervous as herself. Once dressed in her underclothes and a gown that would be replaced with a more ornate one closer to the wedding, Ino found herself pacing the length of her chambers, nibbling on the savory hand-pies that Choji had smuggled in along with himself and Shikamaru.

“Maybe you should take a nap,” Shikamaru said from his position on the chaise, already taking his own advice.

“What if she decides she doesn’t want to marry me?” Ino says, “What if she just leaves? What if someone objects? What if _Sasuke_ appears and objects? What if—”

Choji shoved a hand-pie right into her mouth, kindly said, “Shut up.”

She kept trying to speak around the food and Choji kept shoving more at her, which was a rather effective tactic. Finally, she slammed her hands onto the table they sat at, yelled, “Enough! I’m not going to fit my gown if you keep this up!”

“Then stop whining,” Shikamaru said.

Chouka entered after that was said, running in really with her skirts in hand. “Ino! Flower time!”

Ino groaned, threw herself across the table, “Do I have to?”

Choji grabbed her by the shoulders and physically shook her, “Get a _grip_ , Ino, you’re getting married, and to a person you _love_ , not dying or something.”

“You need an intervention. How long will the flowers take?” Shikamaru said, standing and turning to Chouka.

“A quarter hour, at least,” Chouka replied, looking between them interestedly.

“Right, your job,” Shikamaru pointed at Chouka, “cover her hair, Sakura isn’t supposed to see that yet. Choji, can you go inquire at quarters of our visitors from the Wooded Isles if Lady Sakura would be okay with visiting for half an hour? Should probably also make sure she brings a chaperone. I’ll go pick up some, er, refreshments.”

“Perfect!” Chouka squealed, running back into Ino’s dressing room to find cloth to use as a veil. Choji left at a slower pace, and Shikamaru behind him.

Before Ino could do something, like run away, Chouka was back, with a gauzy off-white length of tightly-woven silk, and a few pins. She worked carefully but quickly, pinning the silk around Ino’s head so that not a hair was visible.

“Isn’t this a little over the top?” Ino asked. She accepted a hand-mirror from Chouka, and could admit that the whole getup looked rather good.

“Traditions are traditions,” Chouka said, sitting across from Ino and smoothing her skirts. “You leave in three days for the coast?”

“Yes,” Ino set the mirror down on the table, folded her hands in her lap. “I am so thankful you will be coming soon behind us,” she said, wistful. Chouka was so easy to get along with and they’d spent their childhoods together, playing with Shikamaru and Choji. But she was getting married, herself, in only a month’s time, and therefore had to stay in the capitol until wedded. “You deal so efficiently with Choji and Shikamaru.”

“They just need a firm hand. But soon we will be reunited; I am honored to continue my position as part of your household.” Chouka leaned over to pat her hand.

Ino was again beginning to feel weepily sentimental, which was thankfully ended by the opening of the double-doors into the receiving room. On the off-chance that it was Sakura, already, she wiped her eyes and pinched her cheeks, but it was only Shikamaru, balancing a tray of pastries on one hand as he ushered a maid carrying a tea service in.

“Ready,” Shikamaru said, dismissing the maid. “Choji should be back in a few minutes, saw him on my way back.”

Ino felt jittery, and so busied herself with pouring out the tea when another knock sounded from the door. Shikamaru was the one to stand and gesture Choji in. Sakura followed him, and Naruto followed her. Introductions were made all around, for Chouka’s benefit. They also served to break the ice, as it were, so that by the time their half hour was up they had spent the better part of it exchanging news of the year that had passed and stories from when they were children.

Ino didn’t feel so worried by the time they left, when Naruto gave her a great big hug and Sakura winked at her, a glancing touch of their fingertips the closest they were to each other that whole time.

Ino didn’t even complain when Chouka unpinned the silk surrounding her hair, let herself be led back to her mother’s quarters for her hair to be finished and her wedding clothes to be put on her. She felt light, as if she was a cloud skimming through the blue sky on a sunny day.

-

The ceremony itself was small, which thankfully was tradition for the Wooded Isles as well; they had only a handful of people each. Sakura had Naruto, Sir Kakashi, and a woman with dark hair and eyes who, Ino learned later, was named Shizune.

The witnesses arranged a ring in the middle of one of the smaller gardens that was kept as a wedding garden, around Inoichi, who, as head of state, was officiating. Sakura and Ino entered from the two opposing entrances, and Ino’s breath caught in her throat as soon as she saw Sakura.

While Ino was dressed in light purples and ivories, with hints of pink and gold from the cherry blossoms tucked into her hair and gold thread seeded with pearls worked into her hems and collar, Sakura was in rich, deep blues and purples, a match to the lighter colors Ino wore. Ivory was her shirt and collar, embroidered with matching gold thread and beads of gilt and pearl. Her belt bore no sword and when they stopped in front of each other they interlaced their hands, turned to Inoichi.

It was a miracle, in Ino’s mind, that her father was able to make it through the entire ceremony without bursting into tears. She didn’t cry, she was much too happy and much too busy smiling at Sakura to do that.

Once the ceremony itself was over, they had a little time to freshen up before their presentation and the ball following. Ino’s hair was adjusted back to perfection, the wide sleeves of her dress rolled and pinned back to her elbows for ease of movement. The gold circlets were re-settled atop their heads, looking no longer new but as if they belonged there.

They were the last to be announced into the vast receiving room where the ball was to be held, after Ino’s parents and all of their guests. They waited close to each other, not talking as the others were but merely waiting, looking at each other with wondrous expressions on their faces.

When finally it was their turn to be announced the herald called them forward to the steps. Ino resettled the fall of Sakura’s dress tunic, Sakura curled a loose lock of blonde hair back into one of the braided flowers.

“Wife,” Sakura said, just because she could, a small smile on her lips.

“Wife,” Ino said, a matching smile on her own face, and they stepped down the stairs hand in hand, to gasps and applause as the herald called out their names and titles.

-

The ball was a whirlwind, and Ino was on her feet right until the end of it. Speeches were given, toasts were made, and there was more than a little dancing to be had. The most important part did come at the end, a family tradition of the Yamanaka that had persisted since the establishment of Sanchō. The drinking of honey-wine infused with a special species of bush clover native to the mountains Sanchō spanned.

Ino’s mother was the one to bear the cups to them, two wide, shallow ceramic dishes glazed dark purple and black, broken sometime in the past and repaired with veins of gold. They were full to the brim, and yet not a drop spilled as Hitode walked through the throngs of dignitaries and nobles, to where Ino and Sakura stood in front of a trellis of pink and red roses that had been specially brought inside from the gardens.

“For family, and family that we have become,” Hitode bowed to them, offered up the cups. Both took them in their hands, drank half of the liquid before exchanging the cups and finishing them.

And that was it; that was the end of the evening of festivities, and Ino and Sakura were seen off to their new, shared chambers by a smaller group of friends and family.

It was a relief to finally be alone, be able to be off her feet. There was a sense of slowness and intimacy as Ino began pulling the flowers in her hair out. The braids followed, until her hair was down, wavy and curled from the braiding and the flower-shapes it had been pinned in.

Sakura had no trouble getting out of her clothes, and when she was down to her ivory chemise she went to help Ino unlace herself from the myriad of layers she was encased in, until they both wore nothing but their chemises.

Sakura caught a few locks of Ino’s hair, rolled them between her fingers before cupping Ino’s face delicately with both hands. After sharing a passionate, breathless kiss, Sakura cocked her head to the bedroom through the door, asked, “Shall we?”

-

They had received a frankly ridiculous amount of gifts, almost the point of stupidity. They would not be able to take most of the things with them when they left, but there were some things of importance that they needed to take.

A representative of the things of importance came the second day after the wedding. After breaking their fast, dressing, and preparing for a day of seeing that their things were packed, both Ino and Sakura were summoned by a messenger of the king, and presented themselves in a smaller receiving room.

Both of Ino’s parents were awaiting them, and beside Inoichi stood Shikaku, bearing a long, cloth-wrapped object in his hands.

“We are sorry for interrupting your morning,” Hitode was the first to speak.

“It has come to our attention that one aspect of Yamanaka family tradition has been overlooked,” Inoichi said. He gestured Shikaku forward, and the man unrolled the cloth, revealing two sheathed swords. One was a lighter fencing foil, the other a claymore of the same style that Sakura used. Both were beautifully made, and though they had new settings, the age of them was apparent. “Heirs to the throne of Sanchō and their chosen consort have long been given these swords. Their names have been lost, but they have served the Yamanaka family for over two centuries.”

Ino accepted the foil, while Sakura took the claymore when it was handed to her.

They talked for some time after that, and when finally they left to return to their quarters Ino inspected her sword, said, “I suppose I must learn to fence.”

“I suppose I must teach you,” Sakura returned, and they smiled at each other.

-

The convoy of horses and carts and mix of soldiers and knights escorting them out of the city was long and winding; Ino twisted in her saddle, trying and unable to catch a glimpse of the end of the procession that was winding down the final stretch of mountain road before the landscape descended to hills and valleys, and then the flat plains that made up most of the land along the coast.

“It feels like we’re uprooting our whole lives,” Sakura commented, brushing her hair back from her face.

“A lot of change has come upon us, and so quickly,” Ino replied, and Sakura reached across the gap between them to caress her face. Despite how glancing the touch was, Ino’s face reddened as she urged her horse just a little faster. The journey would take them at least five days, with their household. Then they would need to establish themselves in the city, in the large castle there that had been unlived in for nearly a full century.

In total it was just at six days that the large, walled city came into their view. It seemed that word had already travelled of their imminent arrival, because people were standing outside of their homes and shops, coming out from alleyways and side streets to see the winding train of people. Many stared, quiet, until Ino began waving and nodding, acknowledging them.

The people began shouting in welcome after that, and the entire procession held a very festive mood as they made it through the city to the grounds of the castle they were to inhabit.

Choji’s mother, Hanako, was waiting at the castle for them. Technically the Akimichi were the stewards of the castle, but Chouza remained with Inoichi, and Hanako had an estate of her own from her own family at the outskirts of the port city.

“Welcome, my dears!” she called, when they were within range to hear her. “Welcome to your new home!”

Sakura looked a little unsure when Ino glanced at her, and so Ino reached out to brush her face with a light caress.

“Shall we?” she said when Sakura had looked at her, and finally Sakura smiled again.

“By all means.”


End file.
